HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. 275 



hour, and was neither waking nor sleeping, when the Bakalahari 

 whispered, " Clou toona, macoa," which signifies {( Bull elephants 

 white man." I sat up on my kaross, and heheld three old bulls 

 approaching from the west. At this moment there was a death- 

 like calm in the atmosphere, and the sky looked very threatening 

 all along the mountain range which bounds this favorit* elephant 

 district on the southwest. I greatly feared a thunder-storm 

 Suddenly a breeze came whistling from the mountains, and gave 

 these three elephants our wind. We then left the fountain and 

 held to our wagons, where we slept till the sun rose. 



When the sun rose I proceeded with the Bakalahari to inspect 

 the spoors of the wounded elephants. I was struck with astonish- 

 ment when I thought over our night's sport : nine times had first- 

 rate old bull elephants come up to drink, and we had fired at 

 eight of these at distances of from six to ten yards, with cool, 

 steady rests. Two of them lay dead beside the fountain ; another 

 had a broken leg, and could not escape ; and the only one which 

 we imagined had escaped was the bull with the wide-set tusks, 

 which we both felt certain was wounded too far back in the body. 

 The event, however, proved that our expectations were incorrect, 

 for that afternoon We found this princely elephant lying dead very 

 near our kraal. Both our shots were very far back, wounding 

 him somewhere about the kidneys. We never saw any thing of 

 the four other elephants shot by us. The bull with the broken 

 leg had 'gone nearly a mile from the fountain when we came up 

 to him. At first he made vain attempts to escape, and then tc 

 charge ; but finding he could neither escape nor catch any of us, 

 he stood at bay beside a tree, and my after-riders began to assail 

 him. It was curious to watch his movements as the boys, al 

 about twenty yards' distance, pelted him with sticks, &c. Each 

 thing, as it was thrown, he took up and hurled back at tnem. 

 When, however, dry balls of elephants' dung were pitched at 

 him, he contented himself with smelling at them with his trunk. 

 At length, wishing to put an end to his existence, I gave him four 

 shots behind the shoulder, when he at once exhibited signs of dis- 

 t v t'ss ; water ran from his eyes, and he could barely keep them 



